Fats and Oils

Abstract

Foods that contain fat are generally well liked by consumers. Fats and oils contain a large variety of aroma compounds. These aroma compounds are either trapped within the oil phase of the food matrix or can be formed from the lipids themselves. The analysis of aroma compounds in fat is difficult. This chapter discusses the analytical techniques used to identify the lipid-associated odorants and presents some comparisons of the results obtained from these techniques. Insights into the main families of chemicals imparting specific flavors to fat-containing foods and their formation pathways are presented, with a special emphasis on the compounds that are formed from lipids. Based on this premise, the aroma compositions of selected vegetable oils and animal fats are reviewed with a focus on the specific compounds that have been discovered during the last decade and their proven or postulated formation pathway. Finally, odor descriptions of many of the main compounds and their relative contribution to the overall flavor of fats and oils are given.